Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

Even before June arrived, I knew I wanted to make a foodie gift for Father’s Day.  I did the same for Mother’s Day and it was very well received! 

So I got to thinking about foods that my dad enjoys.  The first couple of items that came to mind were obvious steak, bacon, or anything meat related.  Since I couldn’t very well mail him a steak, I continued to rack my brain for other ideas when it dawned on me.  Some of his favorite foods involve cinnamon; cinnamon ice cream and brown sugar cinnamon Pop-tarts to name a couple.  I scoured the internet for cinnamon based recipes and ultimately decided to customize my own cinnamon raisin muffins.

One key component to adapting a baked good recipe is keeping the correct ratio of wet to dry ingredients.  If you have too much of the former, your muffin will end up soggy or under cooked but with too much of the latter, you’ll have a dry, hard rock-like muffin.  I didn’t want to send my dad rocks for father’s day.  Nobody likes a repeat gift.

Not only is the correct ratio important, but so is the quality of the ingredients.  This recipe was the perfect opportunity for me to use a new-to-me brand of coconut oil.  Tropical Traditions was nice enough to send me 32 ounces of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to sample. 

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I have cooked and baked with coconut oil in the past and I continue to do so because I love the hint of coconut flavor it adds.  A small amount goes a long way and keeps me satiated for hours.  What I like about Tropical Traditions, is that their virgin coconut oil is unrefined and is made from fresh, organic coconuts.  To find out more about their coconut oil, check out their website.  Many thanks to Tropical Traditions for the sample!*

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
(adapted from Cooks.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (4 oz)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2 oz)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (2 oz)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp applesauce
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, applesauce, oil, and egg until combined.
4. Add raisins to flour mixture and make sure to coat all the raisins lightly with flour.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir just until combined.
6. Lightly oil a 12 muffin pan or use paper liners.  Pour the batter evenly among the 12 cups.
7. Bake at 400 for about 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Allow for some cooling time and enjoy!

Do you like to make foodie gifts for holidays?  If so, what was the last gift you made?

*Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

16 Handles

In addition to lovely brunches, I enjoy a lot of frozen treats over the summer.

Whether it be ice cream, frozen yogurt, soft serve, or sorbet, I’m a happy camper.  I don’t discriminate.

One of my favorite fro yo places is 16 Handles.

The location closest to our apartment is relatively new, as in this will be the first summer I don’t have to hop on the subway to enjoy 16 Handles.  Luckily, it’s still about a mile away so it won’t become a daily treat.  And, each time I go, I’m sure to walk at least two miles so that justifies an extra topping, don’t you think?

In case you haven’t been to 16 Handles or a similar type of place, I’m going to tell you all about it.  Each day 16 Handles offers 16 different flavors of frozen yogurt.

The flavors range from peanut butter (my personal favorite) to cake batter to watermelon sorbet, and everything in between.  Everything is self serve so you can get as much, or as little, as you want!

They also have a deluxe topping bar that’s sure to please everyone.

Some toppings include fresh fruit, mini peanut butter cups, cookie dough, and gummy bears, among many others.

On my last trip, I enjoyed peanut butter, banana, and cake batter frozen yogurts topped with brownie bites, peanut butter cups, and graham cracker crumbs. 

Yum!  I can see many more trips to 16 Handles in my near future.

What’s your favorite summer time treat?

Cilantro

Summer has certainly hit NYC.  We had two days last week that were well into the 90s!  Not mention the ice cream trucks are out in full force and most women are wearing skirts or shorts that would make their mothers blush.  Not me of course (Hi Mom!).

One of my favorite summer time traditions is brunch.  Now you may be wondering, why is brunch reserved for the summer?  Well, in theory, it isn’t just a summer time activity but it’s just so much more enjoyable in the warmer weather.  There’s nothing quite like strolling to brunch in the sunshine after spending a lazy weekend morning in bed knowing that I don’t have to cook or clean.  Bliss.

This past weekend, Alex and I went to one of our favorite brunch locales; Cilantro.

Cilantro is a favorite for a number of reasons.  The environment is casual and family friendly, the food is top-notch, and the prices cannot be beat!

As usual, we started our meal with a basket of chips and salsa.  They also offer fried plantains which are great!  Crunchy, salty, and… gone.

For our entrees, I got the shrimp fajitas with an array of sides and whole wheat tortillas.  The thing I love about fajitas is that you have the ability to make it what you want.  You can be sure that I ate all the shrimp, peppers, and guacamole 🙂

Alex got his usual dish; steak and eggs.  He got this entire dish for $8!  I’m telling you the prices are ridiculous.  Let’s just hope no one from Cilantro reads this and increases the prices, haha (highly unlikely, indeed).

As always, we left as two very happy customers.  If you’re ever looking for a great brunch place on the upper east side, Cilantro never disappoints.

What’s one summer time tradition that you love?

99 Miles to Philly

Last night Alex and I found ourselves in the East Village.  We headed downtown after work to meet up with a potential DJ for the wedding.  I have to say, it’s been nice to explore different neighborhoods due to wedding planning!

A few months ago, Alex went to 99 Miles to Philly with a friend and has been raving about it ever since.  In fact, we’d already agreed that we’d go sometime and last night turned out to be the perfect opportunity.

One of the great foodie accomplishments of Philadelphia is its cheesesteak sandwich.  The simple combination of steak, cheese and grilled onions has won the heart of many, my fiance included.

Before last night, I’d never had a classic Philly cheesesteak and some might argue that I still haven’t.  For one thing, I was still in NYC and another thing is that I ordered my sandwich with chicken.  Regardless, it was still pretty fabulous.

99 Miles to Philly is a small restaurant with limited seating.  It wasn’t an issue for us as it seems they do a lot of business through pick ups and deliveries.  When we walked in, we headed straight to the counter as that is the only place to find a menu. 

They offer three basic starters for a sandwich, steak, chicken, or vegetable.  From there you have the choice of three different cheeses, American, provolone, or Cheez Whiz.  I went with provolone as I’m quite partial to it.  And finally you can add any number of veggie; onions, mushrooms, sweet or hot peppers, etc.  Essentially, you’re building your own Philly cheesesteak.  They also offer a number of side dishes, such as waffle fries, chili, potato salad, etc.

The portions are huge!  The picture above is only half of the sandwich.  The rest was still wrapped up on the right.  I was only able to make it through half and gladly took the second half home for leftovers.

I found the food to be great.  It came out piping hot and full of flavor.  There was plenty of meat and a decent amount of veggies.  I also liked that it wasn’t overflowing with cheese as some places are wont to do.  The service was great; very quick and friendly.  We’ll definitely be back soon!

Have you ever had a real Philly cheesesteak?  What’d you think?

Pastrami Queen

Last night, Alex and I found ourselves further up on the Upper East Side than we’re used to. 

You know, it’s funny, I find the longer I live in New York, the more time I spend south of 72nd street.  When I first moved to the city in 2005, I lived way up on 92nd street.  It was a little two bedroom, in a walk up building, over a CVS, across from the gym and a five minute walk from the train.  The neighborhood was great and there was plenty to do but I found that I felt detached from some of the cooler places in Manhattan, namely downtown. 

Over the years, I moved a lot.  I lived in three different apartments in the 90s, two in the 70s, and now one cozy apartment in the 60s.  I enjoyed my tour of the Upper East Side but I think I’ve finally found a place I can call home 🙂

Anyway, that was a big digression from the topic at hand.  And that topic is the Pastrami Queen.  As the name indicates, the Pastrami Queen is a kosher deli that specializes in quality meats.  According to Zagat’s they even have the best pastrami in New York.  Alex and I decided to see for ourselves.

They’re menu is a tad overwhelming as there are so many items from which to choose!

In the end I decided to go with the overstuffed roast turkey sandwich.  Alex choose the famous pastrami on rye.

The sandwiches were huge!  But you better believe I finished mine.  It’d be a shame to let such fine meat go to waste.

We both liked the Pastrami Queen and will definitely go back again.  I’m pretty sure the pastrami wasn’t the best in the city and it’s no Katz Deli, but sometimes you just can’t make it downtown, in which case, Pastrami Queen is a great option.

Have you ever been to a genuine, NY kosher deli?  If so, what did you order?

Go Burger

What a gorgeous day!  After yesterday’s massive storm, we have been lucky enough to be graced with sunshine and 60 degrees.  I’ll take it!

After spending a lovely Palm Sunday service with Alex’s mom, we headed to Go Burger for some lunch.

This location just opened recently and I’ve been eager to check it out.  Well, okay, actually I’d totally forgotten about until we walked by.  But as soon as we did, Alex suggested we stop in for lunch and I happily agreed.

After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the Naked Veggie Falafel.  Naked?!  Yep, it’s served without a bun folks.  Nothing more exciting than that.  Alex went with the classic Angus beef burger with provolone and bacon.

Also on the menu was their UltiMELT; our burger topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and BLT sauce is sandwiched between two slender rye and Gruyère grilled cheese sandwiches.  Can you imagine?!  A burger served between two grilled cheese sandwiches?!  Sounds like three meals to me but we both agreed we want to see what it looks like someday.  Not on this visit though.

After a brief wait, our food arrived.  Here’s my veggie falafel sans bun.  I like that they offered the option to replace the bun with veggies and hummus.  I think they pulled the meal together.  The falafel patty would have been too dry on its own.

And here we have Alex’s burger with a side of fries to share.

Overall the food was just okay.  It wasn’t bad by any means but we both agreed we probably won’t go out of way to make another visit.  But if you happen to be on the upper east side in need of a quick bite in a fun location, Go Burger is a great option but there are definitely better burger joints in the city.

Do you like burgers?  Would you go without the bun if you had the choice?

The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group Concert

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Omar Rodriguez Lopez is one of Alex’s favorite musicians.  He’s best known for his work as a composer, guitarist and producer of The Mars Volta, a progressive rock band.  According to wikipedia, “he has cited Crimson’s Robert Fripp as an influence, as well as jazz fusion guitarists John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix.”  In addition to his work with The Mars Volta, he’s released several solo albums as the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to their show last night at the Highline Ballroom.

Highline ballroom is on the westside of Manhattan, in Chelsea.  It is a small, intimate space without being too crowded or loud.  They also have several tables along each side of the stage and in the balcony.  We got there with plenty of time to snag a table right at the end of the balcony. 

Please forgive my photos.  I only had my iPhone with me and as you can imagine, the lighting was very low.  At least the shot above gives you an idea of our view for the night.

Since we got inside almost an hour before the show started, we had time to order some dinner.

I went with a classic; grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Perfect comfort food for this spring weather bitter cold that New York hasn’t been able to shake (ps… for all you New Yorkers out there, they’re calling for snow on Friday.  Yes, snow!).

This meal really hit the spot!  The tomato soup was so rich and creamy.  It was so much more satisfying than regular old Campbells.  And the grilled cheese was perfect.  The bread was lightly buttered and toasted just right.  The melty cheese and toasted bread paired nicely with the rich tomato sauce.  I definitely dunked my sandwich in the soup more than once!

And done!

Alex had the Kobe skirt steak.  He was also very happy with his dish.

Around the time we finished our entrees, the opener, Zechs Marquise, started.  Omar’s brother is the bassist of Zechs Marquise.  You can check out their music here.  Their set had a great beat.  Alex put it best when he said that their music is very “accessible”, meaning it is appealing even to those who don’t know it.  I certainly fall in that category as last night was the first time I’d heard them. 

As the show went on, we decided to get a few small bites to share. 

We choose the assorted cheese plate, the spring rolls, and fried mozzarella sticks.  I only nibbled on a each since I had my eye on the ultimate prize; flourless dark chocolate cake with cappuccino crunch ice cream.

Wow, this cake was decadent!  It was so moist and instantly melted in your mouth.  The cool cappuccino crunch ice cream was a great compliment to the warm, velvety chocolate cake.  The flavors came together so well!  Needless to say, between the two of us, this lasted less than five minutes 🙂

After we demolished dessert, the group came on!  The show focused mainly on the latest work of the group along with the accompaniment of Cedric Bixler-Zavala, also from The Mars Volta.

 

We had such a good time.  I love going to concerts because it’s nice to be exposed to new music and I LOVE to people watch.  The crowd at a concert is like no else!   Last night was no exception.  Not only was the music enjoyable but the food was delicious and the Highline Ballroom was the perfect venue.  If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend you do.

What was the last concert you went to? 

Core Fusion: Bootcamp

This is the third week in my morning workout challenge.  I’m proud to announce that I have successfully completed three morning workouts!  Each workout was enjoyable and this is a trend I’d like to continue.  Afterward, I always feel rejuvenated and I find that I have more energy throughout the day.

This week’s workout?  Core Fusion Bootcamp.

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This DVD is the latest addition to the Core Fusion series.  Like the other Core Fusion DVDs, this workout is divided into five 10-minute workouts led by Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito.  In addition, there are two bonus segments for a total workout time of 70 minutes.

Elisabeth and Fred lead each segment with the support of three Core Fusion instructors.  They provide variations to the exercises and give you an idea of what it is like to take a live class.  Also, the workouts are more cardio focused than prior DVDs.  So Core Fusion Bootcamp provides an all-inclusive workout; cardio, muscle toning, and stretching.

My favorite feature of the DVD is the Cardio Sun Salutations segment.  The flow of this segment is rather quick, which gets the heart pumping providing a nice burst of cardio.  If you have never done yoga before, this segment would be difficult.  I’m relatively a novice when it comes to yoga but I have been to enough Vinyasa classes to understand the basics of sun salutations.  I recommend watching the DVD a few times before attempting the exercise so that you know what to expect.

Overall, this is an effective, total body workout with a lot of variation.  And, like all Core Fusion workouts, it’s tough without being impossible.  I look forward to keeping this DVD in my weekly rotation.

**As I said before, in some of my posts I’ve mentioned products or companies that I like.  I have not been paid for my thoughts.  These are just my opinions and I’m happy to share because I think others will enjoy them too.**

Core Fusion: Thighs & Glutes

This morning, to keep up with my morning workout challenge, I decided to do 30 minutes of Core Fusion Thighs & Glutes.  

If you’re not familiar with Core Fusion, it was founded by husband/wife team Fred Devito and Elizabeth Halfpapp.  The Core Fusion workouts are based on the Lorre Berk method which is designed to first strengthen then stretch the muscles.  This method was designed to create long, lean muscles.  These workouts also focus on muscle awareness and a strong mind, body connection.

There are several DVDs within the Core Fusion collection.  One nice feature of the Core Fusion DVDs, is that they typically include five 10-minute intervals.  This allows you to create a workout that fits into your time table.  It’s great for when you don’t have time to complete the entire workout but you still want to tone-up.

Elizabeth and Fred find an excellent way of isolating the muscle on which you are working.  They really get your muscles burning.  The Thighs and Glutes workout involves a series deep plies and leg lifts, which isolates the quads and the glutes respectively.  You will use a chair to help keep your balance although the idea is to use your core for stability.  Therefore, throughout the workout you are concentrating on your legs while also working your core. 

Overall, these workouts are tough!  It’s a great series that provides effective toning workouts.  It is not cardio heavy but if you’re looking to supplement weight training with something that is easier on your joints, you might want to give Core Fusion a try.  Here’s a breif segment from the Thighs and Glutes video.

Have you ever used the Core Fusion method?  Did you get in an early morning workout this week?